Device for sorting cards



5, 1952 D. H. YOUNG 2,605,768

DEVICE FOR SORTING CARDS Filed March 18, 1947 nmmnn /l /0 391111111 11 i M VE/W'OE F a 1 Qa/vhf Vol/w Patented Aug. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES PATE T f w p DEVICE FOR sonrme CARDS" l Don H. Young, Athens, Ohio," assign or to The 1 McBee Company, Athens, Ohio, a. corporation Application March 18, 1947, Serial No. 135,491

Claims.

This invention relates to devices for sortin marginally punched record cards, checks and the like. I

The present application is a continuation-inpart of my application for Card Sorting Device, Serial No. 600,181, filed June 18, 1945, now Patent No. 2,555,666 dated June 5, 1951.

As set forth in my above identified application, a long sorting rod or needle, provided with a handle at one end, has been used for sequence sorting of marginally punched cards of the type shown in United States Patent No. 1,544,172, issued to A. Perkins on June 30, 1925. The operator grasps the handle and projects the other end of the needle or rod through selected, aligned punched holes of a stack of cards, which are then elevated and held in position suspended from the needle. Thereafter, the needle is jarred to insure the dropping from the stack of cards which had been previously notched in registry with the needle.

In view of their support at only one end during I the card sorting operation, namely, at the handle end, prior needle arrangements are prone to flex or bend under the weight of the stack of cards suspended therefrom at a substantial distance ,from the handle point of support. Such flexure of the needle not only tends. to deter separating of cards notched in registry with the needle, but also imposes a considerable card. weight overhanging the single point of handle support by a substantial distance, or a moment .arm, from the operators hand and arm, requiring the application of excessive muscular strength during the sorting operation, with attendant fatigue. The overhanging weight of the cards on .the needle from the single handle point of support also tends to cause the needle to tilt downward, allowing thecards to slide 011: its free end.

The present invention has for an object the provision of an improved'sorting device of the general character referred to, in which the rod or needle can be supported at both ends during the sorting operation, with the device adapted for grasping by the operator's hand vat a median point to enable a large stack of cards to be suspended from the needle or rod without its flexing and with the expenditure of aminimum of muscular effort. T

Another object of the invention is to provide exemplified in the following description andillustrated .byfway of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:- l Fig. 1 is a perspective; view of a deviceembodying the invention. 5 V

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one type of marginally punchedcardswith which my improved device may beemployed.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my improved device with portions broken away and in section tomore fully disclose certain parts of the device and details of construction.

In the drawings, a record card ID, of the type commonly known as Keysort card, is disclosed which is used for record keeping and other purposes, being of the general type shown in the patent to A. Perkins, No. 1,544,172. The device illustrated in the drawings isto be used in connection with cards of thischaracter, although it is obvious that various other types of punched cards can be 'sorte dbymeans ofthe device.

Cards of the-character illustrated in Fig-2 are provided with marginally punched holes I I which may be notched to provide a slot I2 to the edge 43 of the cardto indicate a particularclassification. Since the construction and use ofycards of this character are well known, it is unnecessary to more particularly describe them.

, The device for sorting marginally punched cards disclosed in the drawings includes a body or supporting handle I I of generally bail-shaped Y form, composed of an intermediate longitudinally extending gripping portion l5 and a depending leg 16 at one end thereof, to the lower portion of which one end of a sorting needle or rod 11 is suitably secured, such rod extending in a longitudinal direction under and generally parallel to the gripping section I5. The body I4 may be made of two similar halves joined'together by screws I8, or any suitable means. The forward ends of each body section have recesses [9 to pro- 1 vide spaced parallel arms 20 to which a pivot pin an improveddevice for sorting punched record or pintle 2| is secured, mounting a supporting or latching leg 22 whose lower end has a hole or opening 23 into which the forward end of the sorting rod or needle I! may extend, in order that the leg 22 may provide a support for such end of the needle or rod.

The pivoted supporting leg 22 has an inner upwardly extending operating finger 24, and also a "rearwardly projecting stop finger 25. These parts are adapted to cooperate with and be engaged by a forward projection 26 of an operating lever 21 disposed withinth'e body of the device and pivotally mounted upon a suitable pin or screw '28, which may also serve the purpose of joining the two body sections together. The operating lever 21 is urged in an upward direction by a spring 29 suitably attached to the lower arm 30 of the lever 21 and to the pivoted supporting leg 22, the spring tending to swing the leg 22 inwardly to dispose its lower end over the sorting rod l1 and to swing the operating lever 2'! upwardly to dispose its upper surface 21a in engagement with the underside of the topportion of the handle body 14, which locates the projection 26 in alignment with the leg stop 25.

A rod 3|, integral with or otherwise secured to the operating lever 21, projects upwardly throughii the body recesses l9 and terminates in a thumbpiece or button 32 adaptedto bejengaged and depressed by the thumb of a persons hand gripping the longitudinal handle l5 of the body -in using the device.

Normally, the spring 29 maintains the operating lever 21 in its upward position and thepivoted supporting leg 22 in an inward positi'on with the needle 11 disposed within its ldwer hole or opening 23, thereby providing a two-point support for the needle, one furnished by th'efixed leg 16 and the other by the pivoted leg 22. The pivoted leg cannot swing outwardlyfreetoffl the needle, since its stop 25 engages the forwardprojection 26 on the operating lever 21. When it is desired to use the device for sorting a 'sta'ck of cards, the gripping section l5of the handle is grasped by the hand and the thumb employed to depress the thumb-piece 32, which shifts the forward projection 25 of the operating lever downwardly free from engagementwith thestop 25 on the pivoted leg 22 and into engagement with the vertical operating finger 24. Such depression of the operating lever 21 causes its projection 26 to bear against the operating finger 24 and swing it downwardly, at the same time moving thellower portion of the leg 22 forwardly free from itsiinitial position of disposition "over the sorting needle 11, to a position disposed above the needle a distance greater than the distance' between the punched holes H in the cards and their adjacent edges [3. a p 3 The needle I! inaylthenbe placed through se lected aligned holes in a stack of cards in and the 7 pressure the th'i'imb-pi'ece 32: released, which allows the-spring 29 torepositionthe -piv'- oted-leg 2'2 over'tlie free end of; the sorting needle n and re'eie ate the operatihg le-ver 211mm a upper surface 22a engages th'elha'ndle, invh'ich positionthe pre eeuo z's is uispesed argument with the stop 25 to prevent outward swinging of the leg 22, The-cards l0 may now be elevated through elevating the sorting device, and t'heen} tire stack jarred, which al-lows fa'ny cards Ba which have been notched in registry with the needle to drop from the stack and holds the'unf notched cards on the needle. Following removal of all of the notched cards 116a from the stack, the thumb may again depressthe operating lever 21 to swing the pivoted leg 22 in an outwardfdi rection, to the dottedline position shown in Fig. l

3, and the cards IE! may be 'i'e'move'd fror'rlfth needle. It is to bev noted that the needie' l-l isT'sijpphrtd at both o fits ends, thereby minimizin if listentirely eliminating, any tendency for the needle to deflect under the weight or the stack r; cards suspended therefrom, v and during 7 the j arring operation which permits the cards notched in registry with the needle -to drop readily; there o a d out of h S ee e ItJis al o to en te that no overhanging weight is imposed upon the acct res cards cannot slide lengthwise ofthe needle and off its free end. Any such sliding tendency results in engagement of the end card with the pivoted leg 22, which is held from outward swinging by contact of its upper stop 25 with the forward projection 26 on the operating lever 21. Removal of the cards can only be effected purposeprovided 'for sorting marginally punched bards,

which may be operated with facility, with a mini; mum exertion of efiort, and with assurance against inadvertent removal ofunnotched cards from the needle. I J

While I have shown the preferred form or" my invention,,it is to be understood/that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention'as defined in the appended claims..- 7

"Having thus described my invention; what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device forsorting punched record cards, checks and the like, including a'l'ongitudinally extending handle,,aleg depending from: said handle, a sorting rod secured at one end to said leg and extendin .under .and substantially parallel tovsaid handle, another leg pivotally mounted on said handle for swinging movement in a plane longitudinally -of said rod toandffr'om supporting engagement with the' other' end or s'aid'rod, said pivoted leg having an operating finger and a stop, an operating lever mounted on said' han -dle and movableagainst said'finger for swinging said leg ou't' of supporting engagementiwith said rod; and a spring secured to sai'd operating lever 1 andnpivotedileg for. urging said pivoted leg toward Supporting engagement witht'sai'd. rod and for urging saidfoperating l'everl upwardly to a p'o' sition' wherein it is engageable. withsa'i'd st'op'to prevent movement of said pivote'deleg from supporting engagement with-said rod.

2; An impali'ng device comprising a body ip'or' tion, .an ji'mpalinganeedle.esupporte'd at; one end thereby, a :keeper member ,pivotall-y, supported by said body, portion topivotinto and-"out of engage.- ment with the other end ofFsaidEneedla-said member having ,means to engage' said'needle and. to support the same; and to, retain impaled objects thereon, a leverpivotally suppflrtedby 'saidbody portion,-means for manually; pivoting :saidlever; a coil spring connected atone end1to'said1keeper member and at the other end to said lever to urge the same; in opposite directions and to urge said keeper member into, engagement with said needle, stop means serving normally -to retain" said :lver in a predetermined pivotal position,.i"ehgaging means on'sa'id lever normally operable 'as'a. stop member for said keeper-member; and engagin means on 'saidzkeeper member operabla when-s'a'id lever is manually actuated, to 'engage'said en ag ing means on said lever and thereby pivot: aid keeper member out of engagement withfsaid needle.

it iscentrally positioned on.

3. A device of the character described comprising a, longitudinally extending handle, a leg depending from said handle, a sortin rod secured at one end to the leg, another leg pivotally mounted on said. handle for swinging movement, said pivotally mounted leg having means provided at its free-swinging end to engage the sorting rod, and thereby support said rod under the Weight of, and preclude disengagement of, sorted items, said pivotally mounted leg having an operating finger and a stop finger, an operating lever mounted in said handle and movable against said oper-' ating finger so as to pivotally swing the pivoted leg out of engagement with the rod, and a spring secured to said operating lever and pivoted leg for urging said pivoted leg back into engagement I with said rod and to urge said operating lever upwardly to a position wherein it is engageable with said stop finger to prevent movement of said pivoted leg from supporting engagement with said rod.

4. A device of the character described comprising a substantially L-shaped body, the shank of which constitutes a handle, a rigid straight elongated rod rigidly supported by the leg of said body and extendin parallel with the handle, a

ating lever upwardly to a position wherein it is engageable with saidstop finger to prevent movement of said keeper from said rod.

5. In a device of the character described, a substantially L-shaped body, the shank of which constitutes a handle, a rigid straight elongated impaling needle rigidly supported by the leg of said body and extending parallel with the handle; a pivotally mounted keeper carried by the end of said handle and movable to and from the free end of said needle, said keeper having a stop finger and actuator finger, an actuator pivotally mounted on said handle and abutting said stop finger to preclude pivotal movement of the keeper, said actuator being movable from said stop finger to said actuator finger to move said keeper from said needle, and resilient means extending between said keeper and said actuator for normally retaining said keeper adjacent said needle and said actuator in contact with said stop finger;

' DON I-I.-YOUNG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Marihugh June 23, 1936 

